Case packer



F. NAKAURA March 14, 1950 CASE PACKE 2 Sheets-SheetI l INVENToR.

MMA.

M- ATT'O/VE'l Filou March 18, 1949 March 14, 1950 y F. NAKAURA 2,500,699

CASE PACKER Filed March 18, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. 313.3 .BY T i l f4 yf MJ" Arron/EH Patented Mar. 14, 1950 mates CASE PACKER Fukash Nakaura, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii,

assignor to Hawaiian Pineapple Company, Limited, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, a corporation of Hawaii Application March 18, 1949, Serial No. 82,069

9 Claims.

1 My invention relates to improvements in machines for filling cases or the like and more particularly concerns improvements in case-fillingl machines including a discharge chamber or section which is gravity fed from a communicating magazine section.

In machines of this type, the flow of units to be packed, canned goods, for example, is arrested during each discharge operation by a gate between the two sections. When the gate is raised to permit the entry of additional units into the discharge section, there is an appreciable time lag before the units overcome their inertia and begin to gravitate toward the discharge section. My invention does away with this time lag, thus materially increasing the efliciency of the machine. In accordance therewith, I operatively associate with the means controlling the gate mechanism, means which, on restablishment of the conditions permitting ow of the units, positively initiate movement of the units.

I shall describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which certain parts not directly related to the invention are illustrated diagrammatically and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the working end of a case packing machine equipped according to the invention, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the lines indicated in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the magazine section and the discharge section of the machine are indicated by the numerals IU and il, respectively. Within the magazine section and supported by the frame member I2 are superposed inclined runways or tracks I4 each of which has associated therewith ra pair lof outside rail members l5 and a spacer rail I6 (see Fig. 3). At either side of the runways is an assembly comprising a rotatable shaft I1 journaled in bearing plates IB and I9 secured to an upper false runway 20 and the lowermost run- Way, respectively. Keyed or otherwise fixedly secured to the shafts l1 centrally thereof are lever arms 2l carrying spring-loaded fingers 22 pivotally connected to the arms. The springs 23 urge the fingers inwardly about their pivot points (see Fig. 2). Lever arms 2l are connected to control bars 24 which, with their associated parts, will be hereinafter described, through connecting linkages 25 and 26. nected to the control bars.

In addition to lever arms 2l, each shaft Il has xed thereto `an upper and lower lever arm 21 and 28, respectively, carrying i'lngers 41 and 48, re-r spectively. These arms, unlike arm 2l, terminate Rods 25 are pivotally coni 2 at the shaft and are not directly linked to the control bar.

Within the discharge section il are a plurality of superposed trays 29 hingedly connected at their left hand corners to brackets 3D which may be fixed to the frame l2. Members 3l are adjustable stops. Mediate each pair of trays is a ram 32 (see Fig. 2) movable in the direction indicated by the arrow, the rams serving to clear the trays on the discharge operation.

Turning now to the control apparatus including the vertical bars 24, it will be observed that these bars are actuated through bell cranks 33 and 34 which are pivoted on pintles secured to brackets fixed to the frame I2. The lower arms of the bell cranks at each side of the machine are connected by Vertical bars 35 which themselves are linked at their lower ends through a shaft 3a extending under the machine. A lever system, terminating in a foot pedal 31 and including a balance lever engaged by limiting stops 38, connects with the shaft 36 through a linkage 48.

4Control bars 24 are loaded by springs which are attached `at one end to the upper section of the frame and at the other end to stub shafts fixed to the bars. The springs, only one of which appears in the drawings wherein it is indicated by the numeral 39, urge the bars to the left.

Extending between the upper and lower sections of the frame l2 are stationary bars 40 pivotally supporting bell-type crank members each comprising arms 4| and 42 and a journal pin 43 extending through the bar. Arms 42 carry rollers 44 .received by grooves 45 in the control bars 24, While arms 4l are connected to the trays 29 through short linkages 46.

In the operation of the machine, a constant backlog of the units being packed, shown as cans 5U, is maintained behind the magazine section which is thus replenished substantially as fast as it is emptied. In the case of the particular machine.. the cans enter the magazine section and pass therefrom into the discharge section in double les, the files being spaced by the rail members I6. v 'Y Assuming the several parts are positioned as in Fig. 1, the. operator releases ythe foot pedal 31, with the result that the bars 24 are shifted to the left by the action of the springs 39 which are under tension when the foot pedal is down. Shifting of the bars 24 isaccompanied by lower-l ing of the trays 29 to the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. In this position, the three uppermosttrays act as stops, preventing entry of additional cans into the discharge section. At

3 this point, multiple rams 32 are actuated to sweep the cans oi the trays into a case held by the operator.

When bars 25 are shifted to the left they carry with them the linkages 25 and 26, causing clockwise rotation of the shafts Il as seen in Fig. 2,

the arms 2lA being fixedly secured to the shafts. Thus all of the iingers held by the arms 2l, 27, and 28 are dragged vratchet-like over the chimes or rims of the adjacent cans, their ultimate positions being shown by the dotted line representation of iingers 22 in Fig. 2. It should be noted from Fig. 1 that the ngersvary in length depending upon the arms .onV which theyv are mounted.

The operator next depresses the foot pedal to bring the trays 29 into registry with the runways M. The consequent movement of the bars 2o to the right swings the finger-bearing arms inwardly so that the tips ofthe iingers engage with the chimes of the cans next following the rearmost cans acceptable on the trays. Accordingly, a positive initial thrust is given the cansmivhich compensates for. their inertia, and the discharge sectionv is more rapidly refilled with resultant obvious advantagesin respect of the time required to case. a given lot of cans. Engagement of the iingers with vthe chimes of the particular cans indicated is, of course, in no way critical, since a system iny which the ngers engage the rearmost cans acceptable by the trays, or cans two or three cansremoved from the rearmost cans, for example, is perfectly operable.

It is understood that the invention will not be considered as restricted to the precise details` of `construction indicated in the drawings, since various changes and modications may obviously be made without departing from the scope of theV invention or sacrificing the advantages derived romits use.

I claim:

1. In a machine for lling cases or the like havinga magazine section. and a discharge section served by the magazine section, the units to be introduced into the case or the like being fed from the magazine section tothe discharge section by gravity, the combination with means for halting the ilow of the units during the discharge operation of means actuated on the displacement of the .dow-halting means for positively initiating movement of. the proper number of units in the magazine section toward the discharge section, said means compensating for the time lag which would otherwise obtain due to the inertiaof the units.

2. In a machine for iilling cases or the like havingja continuously replenished magazine section and a discharge sectionserved by the magazine section, the units to be introduced into the case or the like being fed in les from the magazine section to the dischargesection by gravity, the` combination withmeans for halting the iiow ofl the. units duringA theV discharge operation of finger means actuatedl on the displacement of; the dow-halting means for positively initiatingv movementoi the proper number of untsin. the magazine sectiontoward the discharge section.

3.. In a. machine .for .filling cases or the like havinga magazine section and a discharge section .served by the magazine section, said magazine section having inclined means, for supporting units Yto be .fed by gravity into the discharge section, a tray in. the discharge section movable between a position in which it is adapted .to receive a predetermined numberof units and a position in which it blocks the :dow of said predetermined number of units, means for shifting the tray between the two said positions and means associated with the shifting means for positively initiating movement of the proper number of units in the direction of the tray when the tray is shited to receiving position.

1. In a machine for filling cases or the like having a magazine section and a discharge section served by the magazine section, said magazine section having inclined means for supporting a iile of units to be fed by gravity into the discharge section, atray in the discharge section movable betweenv a position in which it is adapted to receive the file of units and a position in which it acts as a stop preventing gravitation of the le of units, means for shifting the tray between the two said positions and .linger means associated with the shifting means for positively initiating movement of the iile of. units in the direction of the tray when the tray is *shifted` to receiving position. Y

5. In .a machine for filling cases or the `like having a magazine section and a discharge'section served by the magazine section, said maga,- zine section having inclined means for supporting superposed iiles of units to be fed by gravity into the discharge section, a tray in the discharge section movable between aY position in which it is adapted to receive a le of units and a position in which it acts as a stop preventing4 gravitation of the file of units, means for shifting the tray between the two said positions and finger means associated with the shifting means for positively initiating movement of the file of units in the direction ofthe tray when the tray is shifted to receiving position.

6. In a machine for filling cases or the like having a magazine section and a discharge section served by the magazine section, the units tov be introduced into the case or thel like being fed to the discharge sectionv by gravity, means for halting the. flow of the units during each discharge operation, a control bar through which the flow-halting means are actuated, and meansl likewise actuated through said control bar ior positively initiating movement of the proper number of units from the magazine section to- Iward the discharge section on displacement of said flow-halting means, said means compensating for the time lag which would otherwise obtain due to the inertia of the units.

7. In a machine for lling cases or the like having a magazine section and a discharge section served by the magazine section, said magazine section having inclined means for supporting units to be fed by gravity into the discharge section, a tray in the discharge section movable between a position in which it is adapted to receive. units and a position in which it blocks the flow of units, a control bar for shifting the tray between the two said positions. and means associated with the control vbar for positively initiating movement ofthe proper number of units inthe direction of the tray when the tray is shifted togreceiving position.

.8. In a machine for iillingv cases or the like having a magazine section and a discharge section servedby the magazine section, said magazine section having inclined means vfor supporting.

as a stop preventingy gravitation ofthe le of' units, a control bar for shifting the tray between the two said positions and finger means actuated through said control bar for positive1y initiating movement of the le of units in the direction of said tray when the tray is shifted to receiving position.

9. In a machine for filling cases or the like having a magazine section and a discharge section served by the magazine section, said magazine section having a plurality of inclined runways for supporting superposed les of units to be fed to the discharge section by gravity, superposed trays in the discharge section each of Whic.

is movable between a position in which it registers with one of the runways and a position in Which it acts as a Stop preventing gravitation of one of the les of units, a control bar for simultaneously shifting the trays between the two said positions and superposed nger means actuated through said control bar for positively initiating simultaneous movement of the files of units toward the discharge section when the 10 trays are shifted to their registry positionsl FUKASHI NAKAU'RA.

No references cited. 

